The Hawai‘i Natural Energy Institute (HNEI) effort in this subject is part of the overall Hawai‘i National Renewable Marine Energy Center, funded through the US Department of Energy. Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) uses the temperature difference between the cold deep water of the ocean and the warm surface water to generate electricity. Besides HNEI, team partners on this project are Lockheed Martin and Makai Ocean Engineering. Project objectives include: